I had hoped to call my blog "The Dog's Breakfast," but that name was long since taken. But in that spirit "The Breakfast" offers a little of this and a little of that, not all of it pretty, some of it poorly chewed. These are papers, posts, stories, correspondence, musings, and links to ideas that interest or amuse me.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

But there are no surprises in President Obama's Gun Violence Reduction Plan and only one serious disappointment*...

Other than restrictions on militaristic-looking guns, pointy ammo, and curved magazines, the NRA could have (should have?) madethis proposal. Before the pundits are issued their talking points, I'll take a moment to record my initial impressions of the President's initiative.

"...keeping guns out of the wrong hands starts with legislation to require background checks for all gun sales, with limited, common-sense exceptions for cases like certain transfers among family members and temporary transfers for hunting and sporting purposes."

This was the law in California for most of the time we lived there, which is also the period during which I purchased about half of my firearms. I wonder if this doesn't have some small chance of passing. Yes, this would close the so-called "Gun Show Loophole" which always only meant one private citizen selling his gun to another private citizen.

"Several recent mass shootings involved high-capacity ammunition magazines that were prohibited from 1994 to 2004. Many of the mass shooters used the type of semiautomatic rifles that were the target of the assault weapons ban. It is time for Congress to renew the 10-round limit on magazines, and reinstate and strengthen the assault weapons ban."

Banning cosmetic features is a solution to nothing, but since the AWB is a dead letter there's no reason for the administration to ask for a ban on all self-loading firearms. Word is the administration is willing to grandfather existing high capacity magazines just as in the previous ban (which accomplished little or nothing by way of crime prevention or reduction). Again, since a new AWB is a non-starter, there's no reason for the administration to suggest that all high capacity magazines be made subject to the NFA restrictions, perhaps under the Any Other Weapon category.

Ban armor piercing bullets.

"The President also is calling for legislation to finish the job of getting armor piercing bullets off the streets by prohibiting the possession and transfer of this dangerous ammunition, in addition to its manufacture and import."

Armor piercing bullets are to Democrats what the Star Wars missile shield is to Republicans. Except for specialty items sold only to the military or law enforcement, none are imported and nobody bothers to make them domestically. Only inside the beltway does solving a non-existent problem constitute problem solving. Silly rabbits.Call for Congress to pass the Administration’s $4 billion proposal to help communities keep 15,000 cops on the street.

All that takes is money.Call for Congress to pass new gun trafficking laws, which will impose serious penalties on those who help get guns into the hands of criminals.

"The President believes that the SecondAmendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms, and he respects ournation’s rich hunting and sport shooting traditions. But this right comes with aresponsibility to safely store guns to prevent them from accidentally orintentionally being used to harm others."

"Gun owners have a responsibility to make sure their guns are safely stored. If agun is lost or stolen, it is important to report it to local authorities."

*Great idea, but it could have been stronger, much stronger. Again, if Mrs. Lanza had kept all her guns in a safe none of us would ever have heard of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.

Good idea, if time consuming and expensive.

Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.